[Breitbart] Work will be completed within the Tucson, El Paso, and Yuma Sectors to address safety concerns by closing construction access gaps that were left open at the time of the border barrier construction pause, and will also include adding missing [electronically controlled] gates, addressing incomplete foundations, and connecting power to gates that are already hung but are currently inoperable. Rescue gates provide access for Border Patrol agents and first responders to access irrigation canals in emergency situations where the water is fast moving and extremely dangerous. These emergency rescue gates are currently inoperable due to missing hardware or being welded shut.
CBP will assess additional remediation needs in the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, El Paso, and Del Rio Sectors and will prioritize completion of drainage and erosion control measures, safety work on border and access roads, and remediation of temporary use areas used for construction.
[TOLO} 80% of female reporters have lost their jobs. I'm sure it's "to spend more time with our families...and avoid the beatings"
Since the fall of the former Afghan government on the 15th of August, media in Afghanistan has been facing new challenges that has led to the closing of many outlets, and has caused many women reporters to lose their jobs, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) said on Wednesday.
A survey conducted by RSF and AIJA shows that since August, 40 percent of media outlets in Afghanistan have ceased operating, and 80 percent of women journalists and media workers have become unemployed due to restrictions.
"A total of 231 media outlets have had to close and more than 6.400 journalists have lost their jobs since 15 August. Women journalists have been hit the hardest, with four out of five no longer working," the survey says.
According to the RSF and AIJA, of the 543 media outlets operating by the start of summer 2021, only 312 were still operating by the end of November. "More than four out of every ten media outlets have disappeared and 60% of journalists and media employees are no longer able to work. Women have suffered much more than men: 84% of them have lost their jobs," the survey report reads.
According to these two organizations supporting media, before the fall of the republic, in most of the provinces of Afghanistan at least ten private media were operating, but now in some regions there are no media outlets at all. "There used to be 10 media outlets in the mountainous northern province of Parwan but now just three are functioning. In the western city of Herat (the country’s third largest) and the surrounding province, only 18 of the 51 media outlets are still operating — a 65% fall. The central Kabul region, which had more media that anywhere else, has not been spared the carnage. It has lost more than one of every two media outlets (51%). Of the 148 tallied prior to 15 August, only 72 are still operating," the survey results show.
RSF and AIJA have said that new restrictions imposed on media outlets, especially female reporters, and the economic and financial challenges are the two main reasons behind the closing of media outlets and female reporters becoming unemployed.
"The dangerous 'Journalism Rules' open the way to censorship and persecution, and deprive journalists of their independence, forcing them to tell information and culture ministry officials what they would like to cover, get their permission to go ahead and finally inform them about the results of their reporting in order to be able to publish," the survey says.
"There is an urgent need to rein in the spiral leading inevitably to the disappearance of Afghan media and to ensure that respect for press freedom is a priority," said Reza Moini, the head of RSF’s Iran-Afghanistan desk.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[Garowe] The African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Mission in Somalia [AMISOM] will stay for three more months in Somalia, following a resolution by the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Security Council [UNSC], which took a vote on Tuesday evening over the fate of the peacekeepers.
The vote, UNSC said, will allow the African Union and Somalia to negotiate until March 31, 2022, over the future of peacekeeping troops. The mandate was supposed to expire on December 31, 2021, upon full implementation of the Somali Transition Plan [STP].
The decision reached under Resolution 2614/2021 was adopted on Tuesday night, granting the peacekeeping force the needed certainty as Somalia and the African Union haggle on whether to completely withdraw or rebrand to an AU-UN hybrid mission.
[LIBYAREVIEW] Saeed Imgheib, a member of the Libyan Parliament warned of the outbreak of war in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , due to what he described as the "failed government policy."Imgheib asked: "Does Dbaiba, as the Minister of Defense and Prime Minister know that Tripoli is in danger? That the fuse of war in it is about to erupt, and that there are mourning tents that will be erected in its streets?"
"The reason for the war is not an attack by Haftar’s army, as he claimed and marketed previously, but because of his failed policies, his adherence to power, and the failure to fulfil his pledges. I ask God to protect our civilians in Tripoli and to take Dire Revenge on all those who are still paying the militias and mercenaries who terrorize the people at all times," he added.
Notably, Head of Libya’s "National Movement" party and Presidential candidate, Leila Benkhalifa rejected the postponement of the elections "in the long term."
Benkhalifa said that postponing the electoral process for a long period is "completely unacceptable," stressing that she does not accept delaying the elections "except by specific dates that are not subject to change again."
She explained that forming a new government at the present time would mean postponing the elections "for a long and unknown period," adding that "this is a confiscation of the right of the Libyan people, which I completely reject."
For his part, Libyan MP, Ali al-Tekbali said that the Parliament is ready to remove the current Government of National Unity (GNU) headed by Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, and form a new national government.
Al-Tekbali said in press statements that the GNU’s mandate ends on 24 December, and it is not "legally" entitled to remain after that date.
The opposition MP pointed out that all existing bodies do not have the right to continue their work after the 24 December deadline. He called for "real" national reconciliation after the departure of the government and the appointment of a new one.
He also indicated that the PM may refuse to hand over power, "this is very possible, especially as he relies on militias to keep him in power."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[LIBYAREVIEW] The Presidential elections due to take place in Libya on 24 December are making waves in Canada. One of the three main candidates, and current Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba is accused of fabricating his master’s degree in civil engineering, which he claims to have obtained in 1992 at the University of Toronto. Three years earlier, he stated the same institution also awarded him an undergraduate degree in engineering.A few days ago, a Libyan activist, Husam El-Gomati, stated on social media that the diplomas were forged. The University of Toronto took several days last week to search its archives for Dbaiba’s degrees.
As Arabic names are often spelled in multiple way, the university attempted to locate records of the PM under at least six transliterations, to no avail. "We searched our records and found no entry matching the information you submitted to us," the university said in an email sent last Friday.
While the issue has caused a stir in Libya, it is unlikely to change the course of this controversial election campaign.
After years of civil war, Libya has experienced relative calm since the October 2020 ceasefire agreement. This fragile peace risks being shattered by political camps that do not recognise their mutual legitimacy.
"There is a risk that a faction will claim to have won while the others will dispute the legitimacy of its victory, which could lead to a kaboom of violence", predicts Claudia Gazzini, specialist on Libya within the International Crisis Group, an organization specialising in the study and prevention of conflicts. "To avoid this scenario, it would be good to postpone the election," she said.
With four days to go to the vote, no signs of election campaigns are visible on the ground, and several observers believe the vote will simply not take place.
"There is no one who wants this election, it will not take place," says Iman Bughaigis, an orthodontist who was involved in the 2011 revolt against Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest... in Benghazi.
Dbaiba’s candidacy is contested because he currently serves as Prime Minister, which gives him an unfair advantage, according to his opponents. "He campaigns with money from the national bank, he distributes money to get elected," laments Bughaigis.
A factor further complicating this election is that the allegiances of the three main candidates are determined by the regions where they find their support. Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly... , in the east of the country. Dbaiba in the west, and Saif al-Islam Qadaffy in the south.
I'd say fisticuffs and firearms. What do you think?
[LIBYAREVIEW] On Wednesday, the Libyan Parliament issued a decision to form a committee tasked with working on preparing a proposal for a post- 24 December roadmap.
Goodness — all that??
The 10-member committee was formed after it was deemed "impossible" to hold the elections as scheduled.
The Parliamentary Committee is chaired by Nasr El-Din Mhenni Ghobashi Moftah, with members including:
1) Abdel-Salam Abdullah Mohammed Nassiyah
2) Misbah Doma, Mohammed Uhaida
3) Mohammed Saad Hammad Saleh
4) Issa Mohammed al-Senussi al-Oraibi
5) Muftah Issa al-Karteji
6) Mohammed Ibrahim Ismail Tamer
7) Khaled Ali Mohammed al-Usta
8) Suleiman Mohammed Mohammed al-Faqih
9) al-Mabrouk Abdullah Mansour al-Kabeer.
The Parliament in its resolution No. (13) of 2021, to submit and present its report to the Parliament during its next session.
Notably, the committee formed by the Libyan Parliament to follow up the electoral process, concluded that it is "impossible" to hold the Presidential elections on their scheduled date of 24 December.
The Head of the committee, al-Hadi al-Saghir wrote a letter to Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh stressing that the committee reached this conclusion "after reviewing the technical, security and judicial reports." He asked Saleh to return to his previous position and preside over the upcoming Parliamentary sessions.
The committee called for the development of a new road map, "in line with the data resulting from the obstruction of the elections." It also stressed the end of the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) mandate as a caretaker government.
Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) proposed postponing the first round of the national elections to 24 January, a month from their scheduled date.
The commission said in a press statement that it is proposing this in coordination with the Libyan Parliament.
"The Libyan Parliament shall take measures to remove the ’Force Majeure that confronts the completion of the electoral process," HNEC added.
It also defended its decisions, claiming h that they were "correct" by excluding a number of candidates who did not meet the conditions.
Libya’s parliament said Friday’s planned presidential election would not go ahead and did not name a new date, leaving the internationally backed grinding of the peace processor in chaos and the fate of the interim government in doubt.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It was the first official announcement of a delay, which had been widely expected amid ongoing disputes over the rules.
With major mobilizations in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and other western areas by gangs, the collapse of the electoral process risks aggravating local disputes and triggering a new round of violence.
Disputes over the path forward could also undo the wider UN-backed grinding of the peace processor between Libya’s main eastern and western camps that have maintained a ceasefire since last year.
Factions, candidates and foreign powers have been talking behind the scenes about whether an election can still take place with a short delay or whether a longer postponement is necessary to reach agreement on the legal basis of the vote.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his other leg...... the status of the interim government that was installed in March as part of the same grinding of the peace processor is also at risk, with the eastern-based parliament having withdrawn confidence from it in September.
The parliament’s electoral committee’s statement on Wednesday added that the government’s mandate would expire on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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The Arab Coalition slams the “defamatory” claims made by Iran’s FM that the coalition delayed air travel for #Iran’s ambassador to #Yemen’s Houthis when he needed urgent medical treatment after contracting COVID-19.https://t.co/cQVPY4kpM6
Direct Translation via Google Translate
[REGNUM] A number of states have already proclaimed obligatory ideas and norms that directly contradict Christian principles and in the near future this may turn into repression against Christians, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said on December 22 at the annual meeting of the Moscow City Diocese, held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
At the same time, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church pointed out that persecution against Christians in modern conditions is especially dangerous, since the state systems of coercion have already been strengthened by the "powerful apparatus of digital technologies."
"We see that in the law and political practice of many countries, ideas and concepts that directly contradict God's truth — for example, the biblical teaching about man, his dignity, and relationships with other people — have begun to be accepted as mandatory. It is not difficult to foresee that disloyalty to such ideas very soon in a number of countries may entail a corresponding reaction from an inexorable coercive apparatus equipped with a powerful digital technology apparatus," said Patriarch Kirill.
In addition, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church stressed that now traditional religious and moral values are supported in Russia at the highest level of state power.
"We firmly hope that this situation will continue in the future," said Patriarch Kirill.
[OneIndia] In a closely coordinated effort between intelligence agencies and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Ministry on Monday ordered the blocking of 20 channels on YouTube and 2 websites spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news on the internet. Vide two separate orders - one for 20 YouTube channels directing YouTube, and the other for 2 news websites, requesting Department of Telecom to direct the internet service providers for blocking of the news channels/portals.
The channels and websites belong to a coordinated disinformation network operating from Pakistain and spreading fake news about various sensitive subjects related to India. The channels were used to post divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... content in a coordinated manner on topics like Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... , Indian Army, minority communities in India, Ram Mandir, General Bipin Rawat,etc.
The modus operandi of the anti-India disinformation campaign involved The Naya Pakistain Group (NPG), operating from Pakistain, having a network of YouTube channels, and some other standalone YouTube channels not related to NPG. The channels had a combined subscriber
base of over 35 lakh, and their videos had over 55 crore views. Some of the YouTube channels of the Naya Pakistain Group (NPG) were being operated by anchors of Pak news channels.
These YouTube channels had also posted content on issues such as the farmers' protest, protests related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and tried to incite the minorities against the Government of India. It was also feared that these YouTube channels would be used to post content to undermine the democratic process of the upcoming elections in five states.
The Ministry has acted to secure the information space in India, and utilized emergency powers under the Rule 16 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The Ministry observed that Most of the content pertains to subjects sensitive from the perspective of national security and are factually incorrect, and are being mainly posted from Pakistain as a coordinated disinformation network (as in the case of Naya Pakistain Group) against India and thus deemed it fit for action under the provisions to block content in case of emergency.
#1
China, Pakistan and You Tube working in concert failed in their attack upon India. The more I learn of India the more respect I have for India and their peoples.
#5
LOL this is the same shit they're doing to Americans who dare to speak the truth. Naturally it's all disinformation according to the government! Those dirty foreigners did this!
[OneIndia] The back to back political murders in Kerala has once again thrown up the often spoken about subject in the state and that is radicalisation. Recently the state police sought a ban on the Malayalam translation of a 14th century book Mashari-Al-Ushaaq or the Book of Jihad which has been used in the state extensively by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... While many radical outfits have mushroomed in the state of Kerala, the origins of radicalisation in the state can be traced back to the 1980s when the Wahhabi ideology began making its way. The same problem was found in Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... as well, but the ideology became deeply infested for a variety of reasons-one the lack of knowledge and two the lack of political will.
Continued on Page 49
#1
I believe that the name Sayyid Quote should read Sayyid Qutb, the ultra-radical Egyptian Islamist. Also, the radical Islamist protagonist was not killed by Romans. He was killed in Egypt by troops of the Byzantine Emperor.
#2
In Muslim historical parlance, the Byzantines were known as Romans. To be fair, that’s also what they called themselves, if I understand correctly, Constantinople being their new Rome.
#4
The Byzantines were the Romans -- Constantine moved the capitol to Byzantium, later Constantinople, and once the Western emperors fell (Romulus Augustulus being the last), the last remnant of the Empire was the East.
They (initially) spoke Latin, their legal code traced all the way back to the Republic, and they maintained a professional army longer. If it hadn't been for the first outbreak of the Black Death, Justinian may just have put the Empire back together -- at least around the Mediterranean.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/23/2021 8:47 Comments ||
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#5
He pretty much killed 90% of the population of Italy trying to put the band back together...
BTW, at Justinian's time the eastern empire was mostly greek speaking. I think he was the last eastern emperor to speak latin.
#7
If Belisarius had killed that many during his Italian campaigns, he wouldn't have had any problems holding the conquests, instead of constantly having to circle back to re-take cities.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/23/2021 16:35 Comments ||
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[GREATERKASHMIR] The Army on Tuesday raised strong objections to Pak Rangers for carrying out some construction work along the Line of Control in the Teethwal sector of north Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... ’s Kupwara district.A Police officer said that the Army on Tuesday witnessed some unusual activities being carried along the LoC in the Teethwal sector by Pak Rangers to which Army personnel raised strong objections.
"It seemed that Pak Rangers were carrying out some construction. They were told to stop the process by using loudspeakers," he said.
The Police officer said that no side is allowed to carry out any construction work within a 500-metre range along the LoC.
"As of now, the construction work has been stopped," he said. "It is not yet known what type of construction was being carried by the Pak Rangers."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] Iraq has paid the final installment of $44 million to Kuwait, completing its total reparation payments to its neighbour, 30 years after its invasion sparked the Gulf War, Iraq’s central bank announced on Tuesday.
"The payment of the last remaining installment of the State of Kuwait’s compensation amounting to 44 million US dollars has been completed, thus Iraq has completed the full payment of the compensation amounts approved by the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Compensation Committee of the UN Security Council pursuant to Resolution no. 687 of the year 1991, with a total of 52.4 billion US dollars," read a statement from the central bank.
The Compensation Commission was established in 1991 under Security Council resolutions to process some 2.7 million claims for damages made by individuals, corporations, governments, and international organizations, after Saddam Hussein invaded the country in August 1990.
It approved 1.5 million claims totaling approximately $52.4 billion.
Iraq in 2014 halted payments to Kuwait due to the war against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) only to resume four years later in 2018.
The completion of the reparation payments come at an economically crucial time for Iraq, as the country seems to have been going through economic growth due to increasing oil prices.
A source from the Iraqi Central Bank earlier this month told the country’s state newspaper that the bank’s reserves have increased from $51.9 to $64 billion "due to a rise in the oil markets."
Record low oil prices during the pandemic last year contributed to a financial crisis in Iraq, but a recent boost in the oil market and the central bank’s decision in December to devalue the dinar have eased the crisis as the Iraqi government depends on oil revenues to cover its costs and pay the salaries of its civil servants.
The final installment of the reparation payments to Kuwait will ease another burden on Baghdad.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Zahra Billoo claims she is in the ’middle of a prolonged Zionist onslaught’ after criticism of comments she made about American Jewish organizations
A Moslem civil rights leader who stirred outrage when she said "polite Zionists" like Jewish federations "are not your friends," continued her critique of "Zionists" as she announced that she is going on a sabbatical.
"I am still in the middle of a prolonged Zionist onslaught," wrote Zahra Billoo, director of the the Socialist paradise of San Francisco ...where God struck dead Anton LaVey, home of the Sydney Ducks, ruled by Vigilance Committee from 1859 through 1867, reliably and volubly Democrat since 1964... office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations ... the Moslem Brüderbund's American arm ... , in a Facebook post on Sunday. She added that she believes there is an "Islamophobic, pro-Israel campaign" to "place moles in our organization and others."
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt criticized the post on Twitter on Monday, saying Billoo’s words "link Zionism with Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... In a Nov. 27 speech to a pro-Paleostinian group, Billoo named the ADL, Jewish Federations, "Zionist synagogues" and Hillel as organizations that practice this insidious form of "polite" Zionism.
"They will take your friendship and throw your Paleostinian brothers and sisters under the bus," she said. While noting that the named groups have stood with the Moslem community over issues including former US president Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... ’s proposed ban on immigration from Moslem-majority countries, she nevertheless concluded, "They are not your friends."
Greenblatt called those remarks "textbook antisemitic conspiracy-laden garbage... it sounds like something you would expect from white supremacists." The San Francisco-based office of the Jewish Community Relations Council and other Jewish groups also condemned Billoo’s comments.
In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, defended Billoo, saying Greenblatt was using "false claims of antisemitism to smear Moslems — especially Moslem women, for some reason — who challenge support for Israeli apartheid. And your dishonesty undermines the fight against real antisemitism."
Billoo’s sabbatical appears to be unrelated to the controversy. In her Facebook post on Sunday, Billoo said she had advocated for some time for staff to take sabbaticals and was ready to launch one when the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... pandemic broke. "Our organization and community needed us more than ever before," she wrote.
In 2019, Billoo was removed from the board of the Women’s March after just two days. She had in past statements likened the Israeli army to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... terrorist group.
While CAIR mainly advocates for Moslems, it occasionally notes and speaks out against antisemitic attacks across the United States. On Tuesday, the group condemned the distribution of antisemitic flyers in Boise, Idaho, and in Montgomery County, Maryland, and also noted its past condemnation of similar incidents in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, and North Carolina.
[An Nahar] Head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Wally Jumblat ...Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... lauded the Constitutional Council’s ruling, saying that it is a failure for the Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... ."The FPM has failed, especially in its hope to restrict the voting of expatriates," Jumblat said in a press interview.
"This is the most important achievement," he added.
Jumblat praised the Constitutional Council’s judges, saying they were "independent and impartial, far from any pressure and political interference."
The Constitutional Council’s failed Tuesday to issue a ruling on an appeal filed by the FPM against the electoral law’s amendments.
The amendments bring forward the date of the elections and suspend the introduction of six seats dedicated for expats.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... MP Mario Aoun told the VDL (93.3) radio that his bloc did not expect the Constitutional Council’s ruling, considering it a "flop."He added that his bloc has asked Parliament Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri ...Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... for an urgent session to "debrief the government about many things including the Constitutional Council’s decision."
"The ruling placed the FPM alone against all the political forces in the country," Aoun said.
"The (electoral) law was approved by all political forces in 2017," Aoun stated, claiming that what has happened comes from certain "hostile backgrounds against the FPM."
Aoun went on to say that "doubts may arise relating to the strategic alliance" between the FPM and Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... . "Things can be resolved," he added. "We are looking for understandings not for disagreements."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] President Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... on Wednesday said the boycott of Cabinet sessions by Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... and the Amal Movement is "unacceptable," noting that any objections should be addressed through institutions."Cabinet must convene and I’m not obliged to alone sign any resolution," Aoun said at a Higher Defense Council meeting.
"No signature can replace Cabinet amid the presence of a government enjoying full constitutional powers," the President added.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati for his part said that, "like the president," he is "keen on Cabinet’s meetings," but warned that "those in charge of this country are obliged to work on reconciling viewpoints instead of worsening the rift."
"There is fear that calling for a Cabinet session would lead to a rift which we must cooperate to avoid," he added.
"We’re all negatively affected by its failure to convene and we hope to be soon able to call for a meeting aimed at addressing the urgent issues," Miqati went on to say.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Higher Defense Council on Wednesday decided to extend the so-called Covid-19 state of general mobilization until March 31.
The Council also asked military and security agencies to maintain full preparedness to "secure a safe holidays period."
It also took decisions related to smuggling through legal and illegal border crossings, the production and trade of drugs, the work of dollar exchange rate apps, and the monitoring of the prices of commodities.
The meeting, which was held in Baabda, was preceded by bilateral talks between President Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... and Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] According to figures compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1,505 of the casualties were civilians and among those 360 were children
The conflict in Syria killed 3,746 people in 2021, a monitor said Wednesday, significantly fewer than in 2020, which had already seen the decade-old war’s lowest corpse count.
According to figures compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1,505 of them were civilians and among those 360 were children.
The figure is by far the lowest tally since the start of the war in Syria and confirms a downward trend that saw 6,800 people killed last year and just over 10,000 in 2019.
The Observatory, an NGO based in the UK but with a network of sources in all regions of Syria, said 297 people were killed in 2021 by landmines and various explosive remnants.
The Landmine Monitor said in November that Syria had overtaken Afghanistan as the country with the highest number of recorded casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war.
The fighting, which erupted in 2011 after the brutal repression of anti-government protests, has abated over the past two years.
Russian-backed government forces still sporadically strike targets in the northwestern rebel enclave of Idlib but a ceasefire deal has largely held.
Fighters from the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group who went underground after their "caliphate" was crushed in 2019 have also carried out deadly hit-and-run attacks in eastern Syria.
The war in Syria has killed close to half a million people and spurred the largest conflict-induced displacement since World War II.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/23/2021 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[TOLO]
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly....jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it .jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling...
...Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians...
...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah...
Najib Miqati
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
